What does it mean to really breathe?

The other day, my grandma—who loves sharing random anecdotes about celebrities—told me she’d heard a well-known sportswoman admit that, after a long career, she had only just learnt how to breathe. My grandma, alarmed, turned to me: What does that mean? How could she have just learnt how to breathe?

I set out to explain it to her, drawing from both my experience as a runner and my lessons in yoga.

It turns out that simply breathing automatically, as we all do, isn’t the whole picture. There is something deeper that awakens when we breathe consciously—something most of us miss in the rush of everyday life.

When we inhale, our heart rate naturally rises; when we exhale, it lowers. In meditation, extending the inhale enhances exteroception—the sense that interprets stimuli from the outside world, sharpening awareness of our surroundings. In contrast, lengthening the exhale strengthens proprioception—the sense of our internal state, the position of our body, and the flow of its movement.

Slowing the breath overall helps the heart work more efficiently, easing unnecessary strain. Practices such as breath retention (Kumbhaka Pranayama) strengthen respiratory muscles, expand lung capacity, and improve control of the breath. They can even boost physical performance by increasing oxygen utilisation whilst activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces stress and sharpens focus.

Through breath awareness, we become attuned to both our inner and outer worlds. With control of the breath comes control of the restless mind. And when we learn to respond to our state—internal and external alike—through the rhythm of breath, we find calm, focus, presence, and resilience.

That’s what I told my grandma, and that’s what I’m sharing with you now: Learn to breathe with awareness, and your life will change for the better.

If you’d like to explore this further, I teach yoga asana, pranayama, and meditation online three times a week. You’ll find all the details on my website—I’d love to see you there.

Wishing you a lovely week,

Elizabeth